


Zugzwang

by sync



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, an au in which pretty much everyone is/was involved in illegal things, basically im adding more characters as they come in, karasuno is a mercenary group pretty much, kuroo tetsurou has a lot of debt, oikawa and kuroo are best buds, oikawa's also a dependable man
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-30
Updated: 2015-03-30
Packaged: 2018-03-20 11:09:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3648087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sync/pseuds/sync
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <b>zugzwang</b>
  <br/>
  <i>ˈzʌɡzwaŋ,ˈzuːɡ-/</i>
</p><p><i>noun</i><br/>a situation in which the obligation to make a move in one's turn is a serious, often decisive, disadvantage.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Zugzwang

**Author's Note:**

> am i making another long fic? yes, im stupid. i'll never get anywhere.
> 
> this is a self-indulgent fic, i think, but whatever. it's mainly kurootsuki but tsukishima's living with oikawa for a lot of this so there's hinted oitsuki. one-sided probably. or maybe not, i don't even know.  
> this will mainly take place in ikebukuro so im actually thinking about weaving durarara!! characters + stories into this a little?? i mean, they might not be involved in what happens, but rumours and stuff are still a thing.  
> and there's other things like shizuo and izaya's thing that is pretty hard to miss.  
> also, since karasuno folk would be getting their injuries in mostly illegal ways, shinra'd be handy for them. not that they really know about him at first, but.  
> (this is what i mean by it's self-indulgent)
> 
> this is in an alternate universe so of course if you have any questions, feel free to ask them. if you have ideas or something you might want in this, you can mention them, too. excluding this and the last author's note, i'm going to try and make author's notes as sparse as possible, so questions will probably be in your head. if it's something im planning on answering later, i probably won't answer your question if it's important, but uh...yeah no, just ask questions. it'll be handy for other people too, probably.
> 
> also, everyone's older in this. and there's more variation in their ages. just assume everyone's between eighteen-thirty-six for the most part. tsukishima's twenty and oikawa and kuroo are twenty four.
> 
> and another thing: because of the different circumstances in which they meet and also their different ages, a lot of them...won't be like their canon selves? i mean, these people will mature. it's just a fact. maybe i haven't matured them as they probably would have but i dont want them being absolute pricks. around friends, they'll probably just be as immature as they always were. but oikawa and tsukishima are living together after barely knowing each other - the rivalry that came from being on separate teams won't be there. so im making oikawa somewhat more......nicer. in this. 
> 
> oh, and, points of view fluctuate constantly in this, but you can know for sure that the person who's point of view i'm doing it from will have their first name used. if not, that's just a screw-up on my part.
> 
> last few things: this won't be updated frequently. it'll probs be monthly if not a little longer. possibly less during holidays.  
> aaaand, i would like to greatly thank Teide for being a great support for this thing uwu
> 
> i think this is all i need to say. so for now, just enjoy this catastrophe of a first chapter.

Kei doesn’t remember much of what happened the previous night. He remembers Yamaguchi desperately yelling out his name, remembers glass shattering with a deafening roar that rendered his ears momentarily useless, remembers feeling shards and bullets slicing and scratching his skin with stinging pains, remembers blood and screaming emanating from a patch of red, but that’s it. If he tries to dig any further, tries to make his memories more vivid, he only finds mind-crushing fear and vomit.

As he lies in the hospital bed, mind as blank as the white ceiling above him, he hears the door to his room softly slide open. He doesn’t look over. “I’d heard you were awake,” a gentle voice, peculiar in their line of work, begins as he enters, “so I thought I’d come visit you.” Kei’s only been awake long enough to see Yamaguchi come visit him, but he wouldn’t be surprised if most of KARASUNO had made up a long list of excuses just to get out of visiting him.

Kei doesn’t even need to look to know that it’s Sugawara, but his superior’s so kind-hearted that it’s a given he’d be here – naturally, as nice as the gesture is, it makes him feel no better. The blonde assumes from the scraping along the floor that the lieutenant is pulling along a chair, and he can’t help but wonder how long he’s planning on staying; Kei isn’t sure he’s prepared for any more talking today.

“So, how are you feeling?” Golden eyes finally flicker down at this question. How does he feel? Just a couple of hours ago, he was suddenly told that he’d been shot in the stomach and somehow survived the operation and that, really, he should have a totally crushed body, but he’s only got a broken leg because _Kageyama Tobio_ pulled him away before some rubble got to him first. Exactly how was he _meant_ to feel?

“’m just a bit sore,” he mumbles, lacing his fingers together. Kind brown eyes flicker down.

“Sorry we can’t give you stronger painkillers,” Sugawara apologises, hand rubbing at the back of his neck.

The only term that could be used to describe KARASUNO would be ‘a group of mercenaries’. With money, information and contacts as their rewards, they took jobs, whether legal or illegal—whether from the yakuza, or from the little old lady living down the bottom of the street. It was common for members of their group to end up in hospital, so to try and prevent inconvenient painkiller addictions, they were often given as small a dose and as weak a painkiller possible. Already having a decent tolerance of pain made it an unimportant point to Kei, though.

“… What’s going to happen to me now?” Kei quietly asks, finding it oddly impossible to turn his eyes back to the grey-haired man. It’s when a hand rests gently on his own that he realises his nails are digging into his skin.

“Well, it’s not safe for you to live in your own apartment anymore.” That was one of the things the blonde had been dreading the most. “But Daichi’s figuring out something with an old acquaintance of his, so you’ll still have somewhere to stay. We’ll keep in touch to make sure you’re safe while you’re recovering, of course, and we’ll supply you with enough money to keep you going. As for once you’ve recovered—“ Sugawara shakes his head. “No, that can come later. For now, you just need to rest. Daichi’ll be by sometime soon to brief you about your new place.” Those words alone are enough to hit Kei with even more exhaustion, and with a headache starting to creep in, the blonde can’t find any other way to reply than shutting his eyes in silence. “I’m sorry, Tsukishima.” Those quiet, guilt-ridden words are the last words the blonde hears Sugawara utter before the scraping of an opening and shutting door signals his departure.

_You don’t have any reason to apologise, Sugawara-san._

・・・

 

Sugawara doesn’t visit him the next day or the day after. But as the lieutenant had told him, Daichi visits him a couple of days later to brief him on his new living quarters. With his leg broken and his body covered with scratches, bruises and a gunshot wound, Daichi, together with Sugawara and Asahi (a normal knight, but one greatly trusted all the same), decided that having him live _with_ that acquaintance of Daichi’s – who Kei learned was named Oikawa Tooru – would be a far better plan than getting his own place. Considering it was this Oikawa who actually suggested it in the first place, he had no complaints. Ikebukuro would be his new home – a city – and though Kei didn’t understand how that would be any safer, he was in no position to refuse it.

His first meeting with Oikawa Tooru, someone who Daichi refused to give Kei any details about, was a day later. With such good fashion sense and perfectly styled hair and features that complimented his face exquisitely well, Kei’s first impression was easily said in a few words: _‘What a narcissistic prick.’_ Surprisingly, the man was a very intelligent individual – the blonde could tell from the way he spoke alone – but throughout their conversation, Kei couldn’t help but attempt to guess how many mirrors his soon-to-be roommate had in his house.

Nothing worth mentioning really happened up until his discharge; Yamaguchi came to visit when he was free but their conversations never lasted; Sugawara cam to give gifts now and again, but whenever he seemed like he was about to say something, he decided against it; Daichi came whenever he had something related to KARASUNO to discuss with him; and Oikawa came only to ask about his preferences _(“Since you’ll be staying for a while, you should at least have a bedroom you’re comfortable in!”)._

Kei hadn’t expected anyone else to come visit him, but it still hurt all the same.

 

・・・

 

Turns out that Oikawa Tooru’s house is not, in fact, filled with mirrors. One in the bathroom and one in both bedrooms was the maximum, at least, from what Kei had seen from his tour. But for all he knew, there could be some hidden basement that’s his own Oikawa Appreciation Room (he wouldn’t be surprised).

Admittedly, Kei wasn’t expecting Oikawa’s house to be as big as it was: with two floors, there was a surprising amount of free space. Curiosity led him to asking, and apparently, he’d had a roommate before him, but he’d moved out a year prior to study abroad. The blonde was about to ask more about this previous roommate so he didn’t seem as uninterested as he really was, but there was an odd look on Oikawa’s face that instantly made him decide against it.

What was perhaps the most surprising fact about Oikawa’s house was that originally, both bedrooms were up on the second floor. However, in the few days between learning Kei would be living with him and the blonde’s discharge, he’d somehow managed to swap all the furniture from the study with his spare bedroom just so Kei wouldn’t have to go up a flight of stairs with crutches when he needed to sleep. Really, Kei hadn’t expected such consideration for his condition, so keeps it in mind so he can do something to show his gratitude at a later date, once he can actually walk without needing support.

By the time the tour is complete, Kei’s stomach is beginning to ache where the bullet had went through him, and his arms are starting to grow weak from the crutches he’s unaccustomed to. “Go and sit on the couch just now,” Oikawa suddenly tells him, as if he had read his mind. “I’ll make us something to eat.” A sigh of relief jumps out of him as he sits down on the cream couch and leans back as far as comfortably possible.

With the kitchen, dining area and living area all in the same long room, Oikawa can easily keep an eye on the quiet blonde from his place in the kitchen. “When are you allowed to take your painkillers?” the brunette asks sympathetically, eyebrows raised in a mix of worry and pity.

“Two-three times a day at a maximum,” Kei replies, arm over his now-closed eyes. “But I’d rather avoid taking them if I can.” Kei doesn’t elaborate, Oikawa doesn’t ask.

“Do you think you can stomach some chicken soup?” The blonde nods when his answer dies in a near-silent croak. He isn’t sure why his throat feels as dry and choked up as it does, but he can’t get any words out, so he resorts to actions instead. Nothing is said between them as the brunette empties the tinned soup into a pot and sets it on the stove. But before the heat is turned on, Oikawa is walking over with a fresh bottle of water in hand.

“Hey.” Kei lifts his hand up a touch and opens his eyes at the gentle try at getting his attention – all he sees is blurs, but he thinks he can make out Oikawa kneeling beside his legs, setting the bottle on the low coffee table. “None of us are expecting you to just be okay, you know? The next few days are gonna be rough and I understand that. So if there’s something bothering you or making you upset, talk to me, okay? Even if it’s the middle of the night and I’m in bed, just wake me up.” Kei feels a hand rest on his knee. “Okay?” An accidental whimper escapes when he nods and he suddenly feels the tears sliding down his cheeks.

Oikawa takes off the glasses sitting rather precariously at the edge of the blonde’s nose and lightly sets them on the table. “Here.” Kei watches as the brunette digs into his jersey pockets and pulls out a packet of tissues that hadn’t yet been opened. “You don’t actually look that ugly when you cry, but you look so much more handsome when you aren’t all puffy and red.” The blonde thanks Oikawa (for the tissues, not the creepy compliment), before rubbing his eyes to rid them of salty water.

“I’ll go make us that soup so you can get something in that body of yours, okay?” Kei nods his head in both agreement and gratitude, leaving Oikawa to walk away with a small smile on his face.

The blond never learns that Oikawa is only smiling because he is, too.

・・・

 

Despite the progress Tooru had thought he’d made, lunch goes by without much said between them. The brunette tries to get Tsukishima talking, but oftentimes, one word answers are the only responses he gets. As little as he knows about the blonde, Tooru can’t help but feel frustration at his inability to help one simple person.

Tooru knows what Tsukishima is going through, he _knows_ : he knows that each second passes with you wondering when that next bullet is going to hit you; he knows that just thinking about what happened can send you into an uncontrollable bout of fear; he knows that those wounds and those scars will constantly remind you of your current situation; he knows that being separated from everyone you knew and loved is a frightening experience; he _knows all this._ But being so clueless about Tsukishima leaves him unable to truly alleviate any of the fear and pain and anger and confusion digging into his heart and feeling helpless is one that that Tooru couldn’t hate more.

But even if he couldn’t help as much as he hoped to, Tooru at least wanted to make Tsukishima’s life in Ikebukuro easier. There are only simple things he can do: making it clear if he’s entered or left a room by making his footsteps heavier and calling out to him now and again; asking if he wants him to accompany him if he ever goes somewhere outwith the area near his house; making it clear that he can text or phone him anytime; helping him make friends so he has more people there to support him; but those small, simple things would at least be making some kind of change, and for Tooru, that was plenty.

“Do you think you can manage to wash yourself?” Tooru asks as he’s washing their dishes. Tsukishima’s face twists in a way that makes it seem like he’s going to snap at the brunette, but his expression changes as if something popped into mind. He looks to the wall, looks at his lap, looks to the side, looks at the table, looks at Tooru, looks back to the side and brings his hands under the table to lace his fingers together.

It seems like such a simple question, but saying no would be recognising and accepting that normal, everyday actions such as washing yourself or just walking up and down stairs was overwhelmingly difficult.

“…Yeah,” Tsukishima finally mutters, head turned down to look back at his lap again. Tooru hears the uncertainty and faint panic in that one word, and his forehead creases in sympathy.

“If you need help, though, you can call for me. It’s honestly fine,” Tooru says reassuringly, hoping greatly that it will get through to him.

It gets no response.

 

・・・

 

“Sorry the shower’s upstairs,” Tooru apologises as he slowly helps Tsukishima up the stairs. A blonde head of hair shakes side to side – it’s alright. “If only showers were as easy to move as bedrooms.”

“I don’t think a bedroom’s even easy.” Those words aren’t anything significant, but the fact that came out at all has Tooru’s chest knocking on happiness’ door.

“They aren’t generally, no. But when you have a bunch of tall, strong men at your disposal, it really isn’t that hard. Man, what a sight that was.” Gold eyes turn up and start at the brunette and he tilts his head questioningly.

“Bet you something else _was_ hard, though,” he hears as he gives Tsukishima his crutches back. Tooru knows full well what he’s implying and he almost smiles.

“Hey! I’ll have you know I have far more self-control than you seem to think!” He’s speaking in anger now but it’s completely feigned, because miraculously, happiness decided to open its door. It’s still only the first day, but the blonde is already joking with him and that means more to him than Tsukishima would ever know. There’s a small, teasing smile on the KARASUNO knight’s face, and for some inexplicable reason, Tooru feels compelled to ruffle the kid’s short locks.

That pale face turns up, awaiting an explanation, but all Tooru does is smile.

 

・・・

 

Despite the jab Kei manages to make, he doesn’t ever remember feeling so drained. Every muscle in his body feels like lead, and if Oikawa wasn’t there to support him, he’s more than certain he’d be on the ground right at this very moment. He can barely find it in him to speak, and when he does, he just wants to shut right back up again.

“I’d appreciate if you didn’t peek, Oikawa-san,” Kei monotones as he sets his crutches at the side and bows his head in thanks as the brunette sets down towels and a change of clothes on the clothes basket sitting in the corner. A very colourful finger gesture is directed at him as the door slides shut.

A sigh escapes his mouth when he hears Oikawa’s footsteps disappear into a different room. Having to not seem like he was about to collapse all that time just took it out of him even more. With his body aching and his head feeling like an elephant had trampled on it, saying he felt like shit was an understatement.

Trying to take off his clothes is, rather embarrassingly, a real trial. If the moves the wrong way, the gunshot wound feels like it’s ripping apart. If he tries to get into a better position, he almost lands on his broken leg. Either way, it’s really goddamn fucking _painful_ trying to get it done, and he hasn’t even turned on the shower yet. There’s a part of him screaming at him to call for Oikawa, to let him help. But the fear and panic and breathlessness that wells up at the thought of Oikawa walking in and just _seeing his body_ alone blocks out that shrill request.

By the time he manages to take off each piece of clothing he has, his body feels even worse than it did before. He isn’t sure why it’s a good idea to be doing this alone, but he knows there’s no point in hesitating. So against his better judgement, he squeezes his eyes shut and sticks his finger into the ON/OFF button.

Kei doesn’t mean to let out the scream that he does, but it’d be way too impossible to try and keep it in. The minute the water touches his body, his hand is jumping straight to the knob to change the heat to something relatively mild – honestly, it’s not much better but it was worth a try. Considering the light scratches had already had a fair amount of time to heal, they were no bother. But clearly, the deeper scratches weren’t agreeing with him from the way they stung like hell.

_Bang, bang, bang!_

“Tsukishima?!” Kei curses at the sound of Oikawa’s voice and the rapid knocks that accompanied it. “Are you okay?!”

“I’m fine!” he shouts back – and it’s not a lie, not entirely, at least. The stinging pain is already starting to fade—though whether it’s because he’s starting to go numb or because he’s getting over the initial shock is an answer he doesn’t have—and he has a bad feeling that if he said anything otherwise, Oikawa wouldn’t care if he was invading on his privacy.

“Are you sure?” Oikawa’s voice is quieter now and Kei can’t help but relax. “I can help you do it by hand so you don’t need to use the shower water.”

The idea of it sends a shiver down the blonde’s back. “I’m sure, honestly.” The silence prolongs for such a long time that Kei’s afraid the brunette’s going to barge in anyway, but thankfully, his voice reappears from _outside_ the door:

“…Okay. But if you’re struggling, just shout for me.”

Like hell he would.

 

・・・

 

Tooru isn’t expecting Tsukishima to voluntarily ask for his help, not for a while anyway, but he isn’t afraid to keep trying until it works. Even if it was just once, he’d be completely satisfied.

When the Teletubbies theme tune starts belting from his phone, the brunette, with a totally straight face (that may have been a tiny bit curved), temporarily discards his self-loathing thoughts to answer it.

“Hey there, Daichi! Something up?”

“Hey, Oikawa. I’m just—“

“Hold up!” The other end goes silent as Tooru interrupts. “Oikawa?”

“… I’m just calling about Tsukishima, _Tooru._ ”

“Much better.” The satisfied smirk on Tooru’s face soon disappears as he addresses the more important part of the conversation. “Did something happen?”

“No, not at all. I’m just wondering how he’s doing.” Daichi already has a general idea of the answer and Tooru knows, but responds anyway.

“He’s not doing great, but at the very least, he’s not totally without emotion or anything. He’s having a shower right now so that might help him feel a bit better.” As he says that, he listens closely to make sure he can still hear the sound of rushing water and then brings his attention back to his friend.

“Admittedly, that’s better than I was expecting. Just make sure you tell me if ever he voices any doubts about being in KARASUNO, okay?”

“Yeah, sure, no problem. I’d probably have told you whether you asked me or not.”

“Thanks a lot for doing this, seriously.”

“It’s no problem. The kid’s really quite cute, anyway.”

“Oh, also, I’ll be round to deliver his stuff tomorrow morning about ten-ish, if that’s okay?”

“Yeah, that’s perfect. I don’t have work tomorrow anyway, so it suits me.”

“Alright, great.” Daichi sounds as if he’s about to say something else before another voice appears and interrupts. Tooru can’t quite make out the words, but it sounds like Sugawara Koushi, KARASUNO’s grey-haired lieutenant. “Sorry, but I have to go now. I’ll speak to you tomorrow.”

“Looking forward to it!”

“See you later.”

“Bye-bye~!”

Tooru notices Tsukishima hobbling on in as he sticks his phone on his desk. “Hey,” he greets, heading over to help him sit down. The brunette sees those gold eyes flicker to the phone through his glasses. “That was Daichi on the phone just there.” He answers the unspoken question without hesitation. At the sound of his captain’s name, Tsukishima’s full attention is on him. “He’s gonna bring your stuff round tomorrow morning at about ten.” As cute as Tooru thinks the blonde looks in the oversized clothes he’d borrowed from him, he’s sure Tsukishima would feel much more at ease in his own clothes.

“Sorry, but…” Tooru looks at him when the small voice comes out, “…could you maybe get my painkillers for me?” Something akin to guilt shoots through the brunette at the request. Of course, he accepts, but he can’t help thinking that he should have pushed more to let him be washed without using the shower. _He probably wouldn’t be feeling as sore._

When Tooru had heard that cry of pain from his place in his bedroom, he swore his heart had jumped out of his chest. Even when Tsukishima had reassured him that he was okay, Tooru couldn’t help but be doubtful – up to that point, the blonde had only shown pain through winces or sudden silences. To let something like that slip out…

Not that that mattered now. _I need to get him his painkillers._

・・・

 

Tooru can’t help but smile when he walks back into his bedroom, water and tablets in hand. There, lying on top of the light blue covers of his bed, is Tsukishima, fast asleep. Something about seeing those features in relative peace makes his heart melt. He can see that redness under his eyes, sees the glistening moisture on his cheeks, but he’s _asleep_ and that’s always a good sign. “He really can’t stay over the covers like that, though,” he mutters to himself.

So, with much reluctance, Tooru sets what he’s holding down and reaches over to shake the blonde awake. “Hey, there,” the brunette starts when gold peeks out. “Sorry for waking you up but I didn’t want you to catch a cold.” A moment passes where Tsukishima blearily tries to blink himself awake, before suddenly shooting straight up, causing his glasses – already in a precarious position from how he’d been lying – to drop into his lap.

“I’m so sorry,” he quickly apologises as he sorts his glasses.

“Here, why not you sleep in my bed tonight?” Tooru suggests. “That way, you don’t have to go down stairs to your own room while you’re half-asleep.” The brunette almost laughs at the face Tsukishima gives him.

“I can’t just chase you out of your room,” he tries to protest, but Tooru has already made up his mind.

“In that case, I’ll sleep on the floor. I have loads of spare blankets and they actually make quite a comfortable bed.” He can see how reluctant Tsukishima feels about the situation, so he does what he does best: change the topic. “Do you still want your painkillers?” The blonde nods in silent defeat.

 

・・・

 

Despite Kei’s first impressions of Oikawa, through this one day alone, his respect for the man has jumped tremendously. He hasn’t been pushed for answers, he’s been given space when it seems like he needs it, he’s had such kindness shown to him… Although his line of work has him interacting with strangers all the time, he’s never been great at it. He can always feel something tightening in his chest whenever he realises he’ll have to actually hold a conversation with someone new; he can do it, but it always takes a bit after the fact for Kei to calm himself down.

But as nervous as he feels interacting with Oikawa, it’s not quite the kind that leaves him having to sit in silence for a while to be comfortable again. His guess is the hospital visits the brunette made with his captain made the whole familiarising process far easier and he’s almost feeling thankful for it – he’ll probably be living with Oikawa for a while, after all. Still hasn’t found any more mirrors, though.

He still feels guilty for taking the brunette’s bed, but he’s pretty sure he would have fallen asleep partway down the stairs and killed himself (and that is _not_ something he needs), so as rude as he feels he’s being, he knows it was probably the best choice.

Although he had been totally ready to sleep before, he can barely manage it now. Since he’d left his phone downstairs, he isn’t quite sure of the time (there’s an alarm clock, but he’d have to move either it or himself to see what it said and he can’t be arsed doing either) but considering how dark it still is, Kei’s pretty sure he only slept for a couple of hours before he woke up again and he’s not sure what done it. His leg is itching like fuck and his toes feel like they’re being crushed under the covers and cast, but he had to deal with uncomfortable sleeping in the hospital, too, and even if he slept because there was nothing else to do, the fact was, he _slept._

_Have I screwed up my body clock or something here?_

“Can’t sleep?” Kei nearly fucking shits himself when that voice speaks. Oikawa most likely never saw, especially since he’s on the floor, but a blush still forms on the blonde’s cheeks, regardless.

“And what about you?” he shoots back.

“I’m a light sleeper and your shuffling about’s pretty loud.” Well, shit. If Kei had only been swimming in guilt before, he was certainly drowning in it now. Before he can even open his mouth to apologise, though, Oikawa is continuing, “Something on your mind?”

“No, just can’t sleep.” Silence lands on the room for a few moments before Oikawa, again, changes the topic entirely.

“Once Daichi drops your stuff off tomorrow, want to do something? Nothing that involves too much walking, or, well, hopping, anyway, in your case, but just something like going to a café or grabbing some food from someplace and then eating it outside – the weather’s supposed to be good tomorrow.” Kei’s first thoughts really just include him wondering why the heck the brunette suddenly decided to start talking about the next day’s plans, but from all the times Oikawa has changed the subject that day, the blonde has noticed that it always happens when they start to speak about things related to the…incident. Or his work. Both subjects which, admittedly, make him feel way too uncomfortable. So really, it isn’t something he dislikes him for.

_But, seriously, am I that obvious?_

“Did my voice make you fall asleep that fast?” Kei only realises that he hasn’t responded when that questioning tone reaches his ears.

Flustered, he quickly says, “Uh, no, sorry, just…got a bit distracted.”

“…You definitely okay?”

“Yeah.”

“…”

“Honestly.”

Kei can’t see Oikawa’s face from his place on the bed but he’s almost certain there’s a look of doubt on his face. He understands why (he knows himself that he really isn’t okay) but he isn’t anywhere near ready to talk, or even think, about it. The blonde lies there, waiting for Oikawa to destroy the silence again, but it doesn’t happen. _Did I say something wrong?_ He worries to himself, fingers beginning to fidget with his (well, not quite his) clothes.

“…Oikawa-san?” he tries timidly. A hum signals the brunette is listening. “I’d be happy going to the café…?” For a while, there isn’t a response and Kei is frightened he’s blown it, but finally, Oikawa speaks up.

“…Do you actually have a sweet tooth?” Kei’s face turns bright red.

“No.” The reply is way too quick for Oikawa to ever possibly believe him – when the brunette starts laughing, Kei realises he’s screwed.

“You’re so cute, Tsukishima.”

“Shut it.” Kei plants the side of his face (because he can’t really turn enough to plant the front) into his pillow out of embarrassment. A few deep breaths later and Kei thinks he’s regained enough composure to be able to talk calmly.

“You know what? I’ve just realised your name is really long and hard to say fast.” Kei did _not_ like the way this was going. “So I’m going to call you…” Fuck. “…Tsuki-chan from now on!” The blonde suppresses an exasperated groan. Tsukki was bad enough, never mind _Tsuki-chan._ Like, wow, seriously?

“I’d rather you didn’t, Oikawa-san,” Kei says to him.

“And stop with the –san, _Tsuki-chan._ We’re gonna be living together for a while now – may as well just drop the formalities!” The blonde doesn’t even grace that with an answer. Instead, he closes his eyes and focuses on sleep, his lips ever so slightly upturned.

 

・・・

 

Kei is about ready to kill his brain when he wakes up at half nine. _Is sleeping in too much to ask for?_ Apparently so. Oikawa isn’t on the floor anymore, to his surprise – the brunette hadn’t really struck him as an early riser. It’s then that he remembers Daichi was supposed to be coming round with his stuff and he thinks that maybe getting up before he arrives is the most polite thing to do.

So, with a groan and some difficulty, Kei finds himself on his feet (well, foot), dreading another day of hopping around with crutches. He decides that going to piss first would be far smarter than getting trapped in an Oikawa conversation and having to stand there for half an hour trying to escape just to _pee._

Peeing is apparently much easier than washing yourself.

By the time he reaches the top of the stairs and starts his awkward descent, there is still no sign of Oikawa, but the smell of toast and egg and the sound of sizzling bacon instantly tips him off. He lets out a sigh when he finally reaches his destination and sorts his position out before hopping to the…big room that Kei still has no idea what to call. The livdinchen? _Sounds about right._

But before he can make it through that door, his eyes catch movement from beside him, and when he looks, fear takes over his whole body because _there is a gun being pointed right at him_ but he can’t run, can’t protect himself and he’s opening his mouth, getting ready to shout Oikawa’s name but he can’t get anything to come out of his mouth and he’s starting to lose his balance and—

_Bang!_

Kei can’t think of anything as his body crashes to the floor and his crutches with him.

 

* * *

 


End file.
